Pre-Oktoberfest Games on Fountain Square
The Gemuetlichkeit (goodwill) Games take place on Fountain Square at noon during the week prior to Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati, to build excitement and to get the community involved in the celebration. Contests have included log sawing races, nail hammering races, beer barrel rolling races, beer stein races, and a dachshund derby.
The Games are often accompanied by German music and dance groups. Come on down and enjoy the fun!
Beer Stein Race
A favorite attraction of the Games and deeply rooted in German tradition: Contestants (Mädchens) race a short distance across Fountain Square with two fists full of filled beer steins. The winner is determined not only by the best time, but by the amount of beer left in the steins at the finish line. A second is added onto the contestant’s time for each ounce of beer spilled. Sound easy? The filled steins weigh close to 35 lbs.!
Pretzel Toss
Imagine cornhole played with giant pretzels: Contestants toss large pretzels onto a target on the ground. Points are awarded based on how close to the center they fall.
John Morrell “Running of the Wieners”
The dashing of Zinzinnati’s most fleet-footed dachshunds: The John Morrell “Running Of The Wieners” competition is open to dachshunds to register and there is no cost to participate for the chance to be named the John Morrell “Running of the Wieners” Champion for Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati. Each dachshund is outfitted in a John Morrell hot-dog bun costume for the highly anticipated competition. They run a course of approximately 100 feet in heats of ten to determine the contestants for the final and determining heat.
